Squirrel and Fox
Pick one fox and one squirrel. The rest of the Beavers pair off
and become trees by facing each other, holding hands and putting
their arms in the air. The fox chases the squirrel, who is
holding a 'nut' in his hands, in and out of the trees. The
squirrel is safe when he stands inside a tree. The squirrel
passes the 'nut' to half of the tree, who becomes the squirrel,
and the squirrel becomes half of the tree. The fox continues to
chase the squirrel. If touched by the fox, the fox and the
squirrel may change places or they may choose two new Beavers.
Each Beaver receives a 'tail', and puts it UNTIED in the back of
his pants. Spread the Beavers out and say go. Beavers run
around trying to grab and keep the other tails, but at the same
time try to keep their own tail. If the Beaver loses his tail,
he may continue to collect other tails. "Winner" is either the
Beaver who is the only one with his tail, or the Beaver who has
collected the most tails.
Two Beavers make a mousetrap by joining hands. Beavers go
through the trap. When the Leader calls out 'Mousetrap', anyone
inside the trap becomes part of the trap. Eventually, you will
have a large circle mousetrap, and only a couple of Beavers
Everyone blows up a balloon, ties a string around the balloon and
his ankle leaving about a foot or so of string between his ankle
and the balloon. When everyone is ready, Beavers try to break
each other's balloons, but also try to keep from losing their
balloon - if their balloon breaks, they may try to break other
Beavers - but the "winner" is the one who has his balloon
Sew the Seams
Beavers form a circle. One Beaver is the tailor, and another
Beaver is 'It'. 'It' tries to catch the tailor before he can sew
all the seams. To sew the seams, the tailor runs between the
Beavers, who then join hands - the seam is then sewn. 'It' can
only run around the outside of the circle while the tailor can
run in and out.
All Beavers face inward in a circle, hands behind back, eyes
closed. The Beaver with the 'weasel' walks around circle and
places it in another Beaver's hands quietly. The Beaver
receiving the weasel bops the Beaver on his right with the
'weasel'. The Beaver being bopped runs around the outside of the
circle while being bopped with the 'weasel' till he gets back to
where he started. The Beaver that was bopped now gets a turn to
place the weasel into another Beavers hands.
You need lots of inflated balloons plus several sets of men's
long underwear (one per lodge). Have one Beaver put on the long
underwear. The other Beavers stuff balloons into the long
underwear, trying to see how big they can make their beaver.
They can change "wearers" and see if they can beat their own
record. Why not add a tail, also ? (The Leader, May 1986)
Beaver, Beaver, Come Out and Be Fed
Beavers form a dam and face inwards. The leader breaks the
circle and starts walking inside the circle, slowly while
chanting the verse below. The leader, with the Beavers following
keeps walking in circles towards the center. Once they reach the
middle, they change direction and begin to weave back out. When
finished, everyone is in a large circle facing outwards. How did
that happen ?
Beaver, Beaver, come out and be fed,
First your tail and then your head.
Bring your Mama and your Papa,
We'll feed you fried bacon.
A leader calls out the words and the Beavers do the appropriate
action or activity.
Riverbanks - form river banks
Build the Dam - dam formation
Tail slap - sit on the floor and slap floor with hand.
Lodges - form a group with your lodge
Tails - form a group with your tail level
Salute your Friends - make Beaver sign
Chop, Chop - take chopping position
Mend the front/back/side of the lodge - run to the appropriate wall.
Danger ! - lie down flat in a tight bunch in the center of the room
* NOTE: To prepare for this you might want to have
symbols/pictures for the tail groups and lodges. Hand signals
can reinforce other directions i.e., front/right, etc.
Pieces of Santa (or anything else for that matter)
Draw two identical outlines. Tape one to the floor. Fill the
other in and cut up into pieces (one per Beaver). Each Beaver
places his piece in the appropriate spot.
Seat Beavers in two lines facing each other. Put lots of
balloons into play. The Beavers must stay seated as they try to
get the balloon over the heads of the opposite line. Multiple
balloons eliminate any hope of keeping score. Change positions
within the lines to equalize participation.
Mark four areas on the floor and give each a name. Play music as
Beavers move around. When music stops, call a name of one of the
areas and have all of the Beavers try to get within it. If
possible, make it smaller next go around. Carpet scraps or
samples are possible markers. The game ends when the Beavers no
longer fit into any area.
The Beavers form two teams in two lines, with the Beavers holding
onto the waist of the Beaver in front. The Beaver at the front
of each team tries to tag the last Beaver on the other team. When
caught, the Beaver joins the other 'snake'. The game ends when
there is only one snake, or....
Play music while the Beavers skip or hop around. When the music
stops, the leader calls a number. The Beavers form groups of
that size. Make sure other leaders are available to help
complete groups if needed.
The Beavers form a (several) line(s) and squat down to make
themselves as small as possible. The last Beaver in each line
jumps over his squatting friends until he reaches the front.
Then he squats and yells "Go". This helps the Beavers get from
Point A to Point B, i.e., circle to lodge.
Back to Back Run
The Beavers find partners, stand back to back and link elbows.
Their challenge is to run to a spot and back, one frontwards, the
other backwards. To return to the start point after reaching the
given spot, they don't turn around but merely switch roles.
Sit down, grab right ankle with left hand and left ankle with the
the right hand. Then, without letting go of ankles, the Beaver
tries to move from one point to another.
The Beavers sit in small tight circles with elbows touching. Hold
a balloon over the center of the circle, and let it go. The
Beavers try to keep the 'snowflake' up in the air as long as
possible without touching it. They could blow or flap their arms
to keep the air moving.
Play in lodges. Beavers get down on hands and knees and grab the
ankles of the Beaver ahead. Try to move to a given spot without
The Beavers stand in a circle and one by one clap the syllables
of their first names. Once Beavers are secure with the rhythm of
their own names, they can clap their names all at the same time.
They then locate others who are clapping a similar pattern and
This game allows the Beavers to become familiar with each other,
and builds a ritualistic group rhythm. Beavers should sit in a
circle or in a random formation. The leader establishes a
rhythm. For example, the Beavers can slap their thighs twice,
clap twice, and snap their fingers on one hand and then the
other. Once the rhythm has been established, one Beaver is
chosen to begin. This Beaver calls his own first name on the
first snap of the fingers and another Beaver's name on the second
snap. That Beaver continues the pattern. Each Beaver joins in
as his name is called.
Shake Hands With a Friend
This game is a quick way to introduce Beavers to each other in a
safe and unthreatening manner. The leader counts off the Beavers
by ones, twos, or threes. Everyone then walks around the room
shaking hands with each other. A Beaver whose number is one,
shakes the other Beaver's hand once. If the number is two, the
Beaver shakes a hand twice. If the number is three, the Beaver
shakes three times. One Beaver will have to stop shaking while
the other Beaver continues because each Beaver shakes a different
number of times. Beavers with identical numbers form a group
looking for other Beavers with the same number.
The Beavers sit in a circle with one less chair (or space) than
there are Beavers. The leader goes around the circle and
whispers the name of a different fruit to each Beaver. One of
the Beavers is chosen to stand in the centre, and calls the names
of two fruits. The two Beavers immediately change places. The
Beaver standing in the center tries to get one of their places,
and the one left without a chair goes to the center. At any time
the Beaver in the center may say, "The fruit basket is upset."
Then all Beavers change places. This gives the Beaver in the
center a better chance to find one of the places.
What comes next ?
A leader starts this counting game by having the first Beaver say
one. The next Beaver says two, and then, three, and so on. When
a Beaver comes to five or a number with five in it, he says,
buzz. When a Beaver comes to seven or a number with seven in it,
he says, fizz. For example, 57 would be buzz-fizz. When a
Beaver who misses drops out and the next one starts over with
The Beavers form a circle, and one Beaver, chosen as 'It', stands
in the center. While 'It' closes his eyes, the other Beavers
pass a small object (like a marble or a stone) from Beaver to
Beaver. 'It' gives a signal and opens his eyes and decides who
has the object. 'It' walks up and taps one fist of the Beaver
'It' feels has the object. Meanwhile everyone has been passing
the object around. Fake passes by Beavers who don't have the
object are allowed as decoys.
Pipe cleaner zoo
Each Beaver is given two pipe cleaners and five minutes in which
animals, or any living creature, can be made from these.
Have You Seen My Sheep ?
The Beavers stand in a circle. One Beaver runs around the
outside and stands behind any Beaver saying, "Have you seen my
sheep ?" That Beaver asks, "What does it look like ?" The first
Beaver describes any one of the Beavers who, as soon as he
recognizes himself as the Beaver described, tries to tag the
describer before he can run around the outside of the circle and
get back to his own place in the circle. If 'It' is tagged he is
'It' again; if not, the tagger becomes 'It'.
Two teams line up on opposite sides of a large open space called
the river. The Beaver playing the alligator points or calls to a
Beaver on one side to cross the river. This Beaver calls or
points to a Beaver on the opposite side. They try to cross the
river and change places without being tagged by the alligator.
If a Beaver is caught he becomes the new alligator.
Squirrel in the Tree
The leader divides the group into threes. In each group of
three, two Beavers join hands and form a tree for the third
Beaver (the squirrel), who will stand between them. The leader
calls, "Squirrels change trees." Then all the trees raise their
arms while the squirrels run to find a new tree. If there are
extra squirrels the challenge is to get to a free tree.
All of the Beavers, except two, hook arms as partners. Of the
two who are separate, one is 'It'; the other Beaver is the
runner. The runner may save himself by locking arms with either
member of any team he chooses. When the runner has chosen a
partner the third member becomes the new runner and the game
carries on. For large groups have more than one runner and
The only way to be safe in this game of tag is to be hugging
someone else. Beavers can try hugging two, three, or more
Beavers. It this gets too much for the Beaver who is 'It', a few
other Beavers can be 'It' too.
An uneven number of Beavers is required for the game. For
example, there may be 21 Beavers. Eleven chairs are placed in a
circle with 11 Beavers standing behind as guards. Ten Beavers
are seated in the chairs. The object of the game is to avoid
being the guard of an empty chair. All the seated Beavers look
toward the Beaver who is guarding the empty chair. He winks at
someone who is seated. At once, that Beaver jumps up and runs
across to fill the empty chair. He may not escape if his guard
lays his hands upon the Beaver's shoulders. Each guard must keep
his hands at his sides and must not touch the shoulders of the
Beaver he is guarding until the Beaver is winked at.
Oranges under the chin
Two teams line up with their hands behind their backs. An orange
is placed between the chin and shoulder of the first person in
each team. At the word 'Go' the oranges are passed without using
hands to the next person in the line. If the orange drops, it
has to go back to the beginning of the line.
Everyone sits quietly in a circle, with their eyes closed,
waiting for the leader's first movement. The rain slowly starts
as the leader rubs his palms together. When the Beaver on the
leader's left hears this sound, he makes it, too, and each Beaver
starts upon hearing the Beaver to the right. Once everyone is
rubbing palms, the leader increases the sound of the rain by
snapping fingers, and that sound in turn is passed around the
circle. Then the leader claps both hands together, and that
sound is passed around the circle. The leader then switches to
thigh slapping, and the storm comes with feet stomping as the
rain becomes a hurricane. To indicate the storm will start to
subside, the leader reverses the order, beginning with thigh
slapping, then hand clapping, finger snapping, palm rubbing, and
finally passes around silence as the storm dies away. During the
game, Beavers have their eyes closed.
Touch One, Touch All
Like touch tag, when 'It' touches someone, that one joins 'It',
then two try to touch others, until all are caught and there is
nobody left to chase. The first one touched becomes 'It' for the
'It' must throw the ball to hit one of the runners. If no one is
hit, 'It' must run after the ball while the others get as far
away as possible.
Four Beavers link their arms together, forming a chain. They are
the Dragon and must remain linked at all times, even when
running. The aim of the game is for the Dragon to run and catch
as many Beavers as possible by forming a circle around them. A
Beaver who is captured must link arms with the others forming the
Dragon and help to capture the remaining Beavers. The game goes
until everyone has been tagged and is part of one long Dragon.
Hit the Penny
This is a game for two Beavers. They stand facing each other
about five feet apart. In the middle a penny is placed on the
ground. The Beavers take turns throwing a ball at the penny. A
hit counts one point; if the penny is turned over (heads becomes
tails or vice versa), score two points. The penny stays wherever
the ball moves it throughout the game. Eleven points wins.
The Beavers stand in a circle with arms extended sideways,
resting on each other's shoulders. The runner starts in one of
the spaces between Beavers; the chaser does likewise, but on the
opposite side of the circle. At a given signal they both start,
the runner weaving in, out, and across, and the chaser trying to
catch him. The chaser must follow the route set by the runner.
If a runner is caught, he joins the circle, the chaser takes his
place, and a new chaser is chosen. If the chase becomes too
long, you can set a time limit, after which a new runner and
chaser are chosen.
Each Beaver crouches in a knee-bend position, with hands on hips,
and jumps or walks along.
The Beavers stand in a circle and pass around a ball or some
other suitable object. One Beaver stands outside and faces away
from the circle. Suddenly he cries 'Stop !', and whoever has the
ball may not pass it. The idea, of course, is not to be caught
with the hot potato when the passing stops. Each time the
passing stops, whoever is caught is out and must step out of the
circle. Last one in becomes the caller for the next game.
Cat and Mouse
The Beavers join hands to form a circle. One Beaver inside the
circle is the mouse; one Beaver outside is the cat. At a given
signal the cat tries to catch the mouse by getting into the
circle, but the Beavers should help the mouse by raising their
hands to let him under, and by trying to prevent the cat from
getting through. When the mouse is caught, he becomes part of
the circle, the cat becomes the mouse, and a new cat is chosen.
This is a relay race in which the Beavers must transfer nuts (in
shells) from one bowl to another by carrying them on the back of
the hand. Only one hand may be used. Each Beaver, in turn,
scoops up - on the back of his hand - as many nuts as he thinks
he can safely carry, runs to the far bowl and deposits the nuts.
Any nuts dropped or thrown outside the bowl my not be retrieved;
they are lost. Each returning Beaver taps the next Beaver in
line to start him off. As soon as the first team is finished,
the game ends, and the team with the most nuts deposited in the
Beavers line up in threes, the two rear Beavers in each line
holding on to the Beaver in front. One Beaver is chosen to be
the chaser. The object of the game is for the chaser to try to
attach himself to the rear of any line - thereby becoming a new
'tail' for the various lines - or 'horses' - to prevent the chase
from doing this by dodging and turning so as to keep him in front
of them. If the chaser succeeds in becoming a new tail, the head
of the line he has attached himself to becomes the new chaser.
The Beaver who is 'It' tries to tag one of the others, the Beaver
tagged then becoming 'It'. This new chaser, however, must place
either hand on the spot where he was tagged and must do all his
running and chasing in that position until he has tagged someone
else with his free hand. This game is a lot of fun, especially
when 'It' aims for a spot that will be particularly awkward for
the new chaser (the foot, for example).
All the Beavers are blindfolded except one, who carries a bell so
that it will ring on every step. The others try to catch him,
and the first one to do so changes places with him, giving up the
blindfold and taking the bell.
Have Beavers in a squatting position. Begin by counting with ten
down to one, then 'Blast Off'.
Four ropes are tied together at one end. Each Beaver takes one
end. About two feet behind each Beaver is an Indian club or
similar object. The idea is to pull the other three Beavers in
your direction, enabling you to pick up your club. First one to
pick up his club, of course, wins. This game may be played with
any number, provided each Beaver has a rope.
Tug of war
Each team takes hold of one end of a sturdy rope. A line is
drawn in between them and at a given signal each team tries to
pull the other over the line. You can rule that a team must pull
the entire opposing team over the line to win, or you can mark
the middle of the rope (with paint or a rag tied around it), set
a time limit on the pulling (one minute, for example), and the
rule that the team with the middle of the rope on its side of the
line when the pulling stops is the winner.
One Beaver is blindfolded and given a stick. The others move
around, staying fairly close to him, until he taps the stick
three times on the ground. Everyone then stops moving, and the
blindfolded Beaver points his stick. The Beaver pointed at must
take the other end of the stick and imitate, with sounds, an
animal specified by the blindfolded Beaver. The latter then
tries to guess who is making the noise. If he is right they
change place; if wrong, the game starts again with the same
Beaver wearing the blindfold.
Follow the Leader
One Beaver is the leader. The others must follow him wherever he
goes and do everything he does. If he hops on his left foot, all
must hop on the left foot. If he hits a tree with his hand,
every other Beaver must do likewise when passing the tree. Any
one failing to follow exactly is out.
Two Beavers stand facing each other. One Beaver puts their open
hands under the hands of the opposite Beaver. The Beaver with
their hands on the bottom then tries to slap the hands of the
other Beaver. If the other Beaver is able to move their hands
before they can be slapped, then they will take up the position
on the bottom. If the bottom Beaver manages to slap the other
Beaver's hand before he can remove them, then the slapper will
continue in the bottom position.
To start the game, have three of the Beavers join hands forming a
triangle. One Beaver on the triangle is then chosen to be the
chasee and faces into the middle of the triangle. The other two
Beavers will face outwards and use their bodies as a shield to
protect the chasee from the fourth Beaver, the chaser. When the
chaser tags the chasee, then the chaser will join the triangle
and the chasee will become the chaser. Another Beaver on the
triangle is chosen to be the chasee and the game continues until
the four Beavers decide to end it.
To start, the Beavers get into partner groups and stand back to
back. The partners should be approximately the same height and
weight for the best results. On the count of three both Beavers
try to push each other off balance by only using their bum. The
first Beaver to move his feet loses. The loser can challenge the
winner again, or find another partner if he wishes to continue
with this game.
Played in a circle. It starts by having one Beaver whisper a
message to the Beaver next to him. The message must be whispered
and only said once. The message is passed from Beaver to Beaver
until it comes to the last Beaver. The last Beaver then says out
loud what he has heard. The first Beaver says what he started
with. It is always fun to see how mixed up the message can get
by the time it is received by the last Beaver.
Hot Potato Gift (Variation of Hot Potato)
The game starts with everyone sitting or standing in a circle.
The wrapped present is then given to one individual in the group.
The leader starts a rhythm by either clapping hands or by singing
a simple short song. The present is then passed around the
circle as one might pass a hot potato. When the rhythm or song
stops (whenever the leader chooses) the Beaver who ends up with
the parcel at that moment must take off one layer of wrapping.
That individual then leaves the game to join the leader in
keeping up the rhythm and the game starts up again. This goes on
until there is only one Beaver left to unwrap the present.
Tic Tic BOOM
This game is started with everyone standing in a circle. One
Beaver is then chosen to go around the circle tapping Beavers as
they go, saying tic, tic, tic, etc. When the chosen Beaver
decides he/she yells Boom ! He/she runs off in one direction
around the circle and the Beaver who was tapped runs in the other
direction. The two race each other back to the original starting
point on the circle. The first one back joins the circle. The
last one back becomes the Beaver to go around the circle saying
tic, tic, tic, etc. Also known under a number of other names,
such as Duck Duck Goose.
Circle of Good Cheer
The game starts with everyone sitting in a circle. One Beaver is
then chosen to go into the middle and do some-thing silly.
Everyone sitting around the circle gives that Beaver a huge round
of applause after they have finished doing their silly act. The
act itself should only take two or three seconds. Once that
Beaver has sat down the Beaver to his left gets up and does
his/her sill act, and the game continues until everyone has had a
A game for as many Beavers as possible. One Beaver is chosen to
be 'it' and has to chase the other Beavers. Before the games
starts, 'it' picks a number of special places to put the people
he catches. These are the Beavers gluepots and any Beaver who is
put there cannot move. They can be released, however, only if a
free player touches their hand - but if the free player makes a
mistake and puts a foot into the gluepot, then he is stuck there
All of the participants, except for one chaser and chasee, are
arranged in groups with their elbows locked together and their
free arms on their hips. The chasee can join any of these pairs
at any time by linking their arm, at the elbow, with he free arm
of a partner group. On having joined a pair of Beavers, the
Beaver on the opposite side of the partner pair must leave and
become the new chasee. If the chaser tags the chasee, then the
two change roles and the old chaser can link on to a partner
group. This game ends when you, as the play leader, decide to
The Secret Handshake
The Beavers are divided into groups of three or four and asked to
make up their own version of a secret handshake. Once each group
has chosen their signal for handshake and can recognize it with
their eyes closed, they will be ready to begin. The groups are
intermingled and everyone closes their eyes. Without talking,
each group will now intermingle in an attempt to find their group
members. The first group to find all its members, by using the
secret handshake, will have won the game. The winners must be
together and sitting on the ground.
Skin the Snake
Beavers are divided into two lines, with about ten Beavers to a
line. Everyone spreads their legs and passes one hand through
their legs to the Beaver behind them. Each Beaver then grabs
hold of the hand in front of them and the hand behind them. When
everyone has joined their hands in their fashion only the front
and last Beavers will have a free hand. The two snakes are now
ready to be skinned. To skin the snake, the back Beaver starts
the process by sitting down. The whole line of Beavers then
shuffles backwards. The back Beaver lies right down as the group
continues to move over top of him. As the line moves backwards,
each Beaver in turn will sit down and then lie down, spreading
their legs to either side of the Beaver lying in front of them.
The line keeps moving backwards until everyone is lying down.
The snake is now ready to grow a new skin. To grow the skin
back, the last Beaver to lie down will stand back up. Once
standing. this Beaver then shuffles forward over the other
Beavers pulling up others as he moves. Everyone will now rise in
turn, as the line moves forward overhead. When everyone has
risen and is back in their original places, the activity ends.
The first group to complete this task without letting go of any
hands, wins the game.
The Beavers are divided into two equal teams. The team members
will take off one of their shoes and put them into a pile; with
one pile per team. The Beavers will stand about eight feet from
their pile waiting for the leader to give the signal to start.
On the word 'go', team Beavers will put on a shoe that belongs to
another team member. Once the shoes are on, the Beavers must
then match up their left and right feet with the other team
members wearing similar shoes. The feet of each Beaver must be
pressed against the same shoe to be matched. The first team to
match all of their feet wins the game.
Beavers imitate animal walks around the Meeting Place. A Beaver
can be leader and pick the animals (giraffe, elephant,
Go To Beaver Games Vol.1 Part 2